I have a multigrafted persimmon mentioned in the previous thread. The original graft was Great Wall on American rootstock about 8 years ago and subsequently over the years, grafts were made on the Great Wall, using it as an interstem. Three seasons ago i first noticed the signs of KSD on this tree, and it has had a chronic progressively worsening course since then. My hunch is that a graft of an Izu scion from Davis introduced a virus responsible for the disease, but as discussed in the previous thread, it is not clearly established that the cause of KSD is even infectious.The status of my grafts on this tree are:
Hira Tanenashi - thriving
Tam Kam - thriving
American persimmon (Knightsville) thriving
Korean - 5 year graft dead after 3rd season of KSD
Izu - remains alive after 3rd season of KSD
Rojo Brillante - dead after one season without definite KSD
Nikita's Gift - dead after 3rd season of KSD
Great Wall - the interstem had been free of signs of KSD until this past season when one branch was affected.

Have also had an 8 foot Ichi die within one season from KSD and a 12 foot Hachiya die from KSD after 3 seasons.affected.

Thanks for the report, creekweb. Lots of interesting things to consider there. I'm a little surprised, for one, that Nikita's gift, being part native persimmon would still be susceptible.

I just found the following published on the web by Clemson. Here's an excerpt and the link below:

'...the astringent varieties âÂÂKoreanâ and âÂÂShengâ showed less injury than all other cultivars. These cultivars are generally more cold hardy and leafout later than other cultivars. âÂÂGiomboâ and âÂÂHana Fuyuâ also had slightly higher survival. Other cultivars such as FL 11-72-10 (Florida selection), âÂÂHachiyaâÂÂ, and âÂÂEurekaâ were extensively injured or killed...'

Presumably the other varieties tested were average in susceptibility. They're listed in the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sudden Death Syndrome in Kaki Persimmon: Some Observations

Makes me wonder if the cause might be similar to the Peach Tree Sudden Death/decline syndrome... that was later found to be mostly a factor of Rootstock incompatibility combined with cold winters....

Everybody thought that was viral or caused by some sort of chemical spray/hormone/etc for a LONG time...

Thanks